Controversies surrounding sport-related concussion (SRC) and the potential long-term brain effects of exposure to contact sports are now reaching the legal arena. Neuropsychologists are called in many of these cases to perform neuropsychological evaluations on former athletes from various sports at all levels of competition to assess potential brain effects from sports participation. The goal of this presentation is to review the ethical and methodological challenges in performing these evaluations and assisting the court in adjudicating claims of brain injury resulting from sports competition. The presentation will include an introduction to basic issues including whether or not a condition such as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and/or Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome (TES) can be diagnosed in a living player. Can we document neurocognitive disorder associated with sports participation in a reliable manner with a single cross-sectional assessment? Are we able to detect neurocognitive effects in an equivalent manner in athletes coming from a diverse range of cultural and economic backgrounds? The aim is to discuss these and other questions in the context of known limitations in scientific methodology and pressures placed by public perceptions and existing media coverage of these high profile cases.
Learning Objectives:
After the session, participants will be able to:
List the limitations of diagnosing Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and/or Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome (TES) in living individuals.
Describe the ethical concerns of performing neuropsychological evaluations when methods and interpretive guidelines are dictated by other parties.
Assess the limitations of diagnosing a presumed progressive neurocognitive disorder based on a single cross-sectional assessment.
Discuss the limitations of making a diagnosis of a neurocognitive disorder in an equivalent manner in athletes coming from a diverse range of cultural and social backgrounds.
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